Processing Recent Events
The past few days have been unsettling, and unfortunately, they don’t stand out much from daily American life.
I’m writing this because a good friend is taking me to task about my stance on recent events. She said, “just because you don’t agree with someone does not make them worthy of violence or death.”
I’m not even calling her out, because I’ve heard that an awful lot these past few days. I used to feel that way myself, before my eyes were opened. Losing her friendship would really hurt, so I’m hoping in this that I can explain the nuances in the silence.
Before I really get going, I need to explain the paradox of tolerance.
“Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant… then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them. We should therefore claim, in the name of tolerance, the right not to tolerate the intolerant.” — Karl Popper, The Open Society and Its Enemies (1945)
Sit in it. Soak up what it means. I can’t be an enabler of what’s happening.
There was another school shooting, this time at Evergreen High School in my home state. in the same school district where I attended high school, and in the same school district as the first school shooting that I can remember, Columbine.
I didn’t attend either of these schools. I went to the racist high school, Arvada High School, where my mom fought tooth and nail to retain the racist and derogatory mascot claiming it as a source of pride. She was outraged that an indigenous person would ask a school to change such a thing when she enjoyed it so much.
She felt they should take it as a compliment.
My mom was sure that she wasn’t racist. Actually, in my youth at least, she would have considered herself quite woke (although the word progressive enraged her, she prided herself on being culturally aware). She had me watch movies like Mississippi Burning, and To Sir with Love, but not until my teens.
My mom watched The Color Purple, and was deeply moved, but my grandparents didn’t want me watching it, and the themes were never discussed. I wasn’t allowed to watch Roots, and when it came up my grandmother became obviously uncomfortable and dismissive. Grandma did not have similar qualms about having me watch Scarlet O’Hara be forced to have nonconsensual sex in Gone with the Wind. She called it “romantic.”
When I asked about Mammy, she gave a classic shrug and said that’s just the was it was “back then.” She also added that nobody in our family was ever rich enough for that. (Go ahead and read that last line until it hits.)
Grandma would be the first to tell you that she wasn’t one bit racist. She worked right next to those black girls (not women, she always said girls) when she worked at IBM. She also made sure to follow that proclamation with an insistence that this was pretty magnanimous of her given how awful they were. She described them as dirty and with terrible attitudes. She couldn’t name specific examples of anything, just insisted that they were always “nasty.” There was no hint of kindness or respect or any other positive regard, but she wanted all the credit for not being racist.
She BELIEVED she wasn’t racist.
Not being racist isn’t good enough. Being ANTIRACIST is barely good enough.
I believed I wasn’t racist too.
I considered myself one of the “good guys,” proud that I didn’t come from a racist family. I believed that about myself while repeating Rush Limbaugh’s words about Affirmative Action.
“Affirmative action is the single greatest example of institutionalized racism in America today.”
—Rush Limbaugh, syndicated radio broadcast (circa 1993)“Affirmative action is not about opportunity. It’s about lowering standards to achieve quotas.”
—Rush Limbaugh, paraphrased from his commentary on college admissions
I believed I wasn’t racist while I was telling loads of jokes with minorities as the punchline. I was taught that the stereotypes were a reality, and even though I absolutely knew better it took until college for me to firmly reject it. Since rejecting it, I’ve been amazed at how many people are more uncomfortable about me rejecting racism, than hearing racism itself.
I see you.
Facts are amazing like that, but not everyone is susceptible to them.
I’m sheltered by my White Privilege and I know it.
There’s no way of ever erasing that. I can minimize it but not eradicate it (similar to what the recent deceased said about gun deaths, “You’re not going to get gun deaths to zero. It will not happen. But I think it’s worth it… so that we can have the Second Amendment to protect our other God-given rights.” He also said, “You could significantly reduce [gun deaths] through having more fathers in the home, by having more armed guards in front of schools.”)
Even from my sheltered vantage, I’ve witnessed racism, from the interpersonal to the institutional over and over and over again. I’ve seen the damage, and the real time impacts.
I’ve studied enough history to know that slavery never truly ended. The White Nationalists only ever regroup. They built the social and economic differences into every fiber of this country, so much so that word of their own freedom took years to reach some blacks held captive in the south. They denied loans, and living wages, and opportunities to participate in America all while claiming it to be the “land of the free” for “we the people.”
They continued to kidnap the daddies by denying opportunities for participation in the economy, and passing strategic laws to criminalize marginality. Instead of selling them off, they incarcerated them, frequently with a return right back to slave labor, all while blaming them for it. They made Mommas make the money, pay the bills, and raise their kids all while raising ours too, and blaming them as well.
If you’re under any impression that this only applies to Black People, I truly recommend that your read “In Search of Respect: Selling Crack in El Barrio.”
“People become crack dealers not because they turn their back on mainstream society, but because mainstream society has turned its back on them”.
I actually recommend that you read anything by Philippe Bourgois, because these systems that oppress are not only aimed in terms of race. In “Righteous Dopefiend,” he looks at how the housing insecurity and “abandonment from the local economy,” force a culture of behavior. (The photography is also quite stunning.)
None of these things are visible when we’re busy clutching our pearls.
Only I’m autistic and I didn’t know that we were clutching our pearls. I thought we weren’t racist, which to me meant that we should actually strive to be antiracist. It never occurred to me that people could see how minorities are treated in this country and not feel sickened inside.
I set out to understand. I actually believe we’re all equal. I believe that if the system gives me privilege, it is my duty as a decent human being to extend that privilege to others, to speak for the silenced, to life the voices of those who know.
It’s been a tragic gut-punch to discover once again that so many people who would quickly tell you that they aren’t racist, have been clutching their pearls over the death of someone who was outspokenly racist, and quite proud of it. They’ve let me know what a monster I am for my relief that the damage he ravaged on us has ended.
America 2025
Consider This
The military is being moved into position against the American people. Homeless people are being rounded up, and taken to???? Anybody with brown skin can be disappeared to El Salvador, and they’re creating Alligator Auschwitz, with plans for many more.
This is the US showing off how proud it is of how it treats people
WITHOUT DUE PROCESS
These are concentration camps.
Censorship is being enacted in the media, schools, online, and government websites were changed early on. They continue to push for our schools to not be allowed to teach about slavery and have already had successes in Texas, Florida, Tennessee, South Carolina, Arkansas, New Hampshire, Iowa, Idaho, Oklahoma, Utah, Arizona, and Alabama.
This is all at home, because I don’t have the capacity right now to break down our involvement in the genocide in Gaza, the Congo, and Sudan, and frankly everywhere that the light touches. They’re using eugenic language against neurodivergents and creating a registry. Autistics like me are already on a list.
They are plagiarizing the NAZ! playbook, and it’s moving fast.
WWII didn’t end because someone sued Hitler or the Naz! party. WWII didn’t end because people protested.
If someone had assassinated Hitler in 1941, how many lives would have been saved?
If Goebbels, Himmler, Bormann, Göring, Keitel, Raeder, Dönitz, Speer, von Ribbentrop, Funk, or Hess had been eliminated how many would have been spared? From the oligarchs to the propagandists, they all played their role in the holocaust which exterminated an estimated 11 million INNOCENT people.
This included not only Jewish people but also Poles and Slavs, People with disabilities, LGBTQ+ individuals, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Political dissidents, and Prisoners of war
For example, Heydrich‘s assassination sent a message that they weren’t untouchable, as they acted with impunity. Just like the death of another recent prominent propagandist, it was politicized to justify more injustice and violence. The government gave a warning only a day or so ago about all large crowds being targets and their willingness to increase the police state.
Let’s Ask Copilot
I was curious, as I’m seeing far too many parallels, so I asked my Copilot to compare the timelines of NAZ! Germany and NAZ! America.
If you were to compare America’s timeline to the timeline in Nazi Germany, how far along are we?
That’s a bold and necessary question, Protyus—and one that demands nuance, not alarmism. Comparing timelines between America and Nazi Germany isn’t about matching dates or leaders—it’s about identifying patterns of authoritarian drift, propaganda, scapegoating, and erosion of democratic norms.
Here’s a strategic breakdown of parallels and divergences:
🧭 Parallels in Early-Stage Authoritarianism
| Nazi Germany (1933–1935) | U.S. Trends (2016–2025) |
|---|---|
| Hitler appointed Chancellor, not elected majority | Electoral College win despite popular vote loss |
| Enabling Act passed—dismantled democracy | Executive orders bypassing legislative consensus |
| Mass rallies, paramilitary glorification | Militia normalization, political violence spikes |
| Propaganda machine via Goebbels | Media discrediting, rise of partisan echo chambers |
| Targeting minorities (Jews, Roma, disabled) | Anti-immigrant rhetoric, trans bans, voter purges |
🧱 Structural Differences That Still Matter
- Germany’s democracy collapsed within months of Hitler’s rise. America’s institutions—courts, press, civil society—still resist, though under strain.
- Hitler’s regime was totalitarian, with no opposition parties. The U.S. retains pluralism, albeit polarized.
- Germany had no Bill of Rights or constitutional checks like the U.S. does.
🔥 Strategic Warning Signs
- Normalization of political violence (e.g., Jan 6 Capitol attack)
- Legal erosion: attempts to criminalize protest, restrict voting
- Cult of personality: loyalty to leader over law or truth
- Scapegoating: blaming marginalized groups for systemic failures
🧠 What Scholars Say
Historian Frank McDonough notes that while Trump’s America shares rhetorical and strategic similarities with 1930s fascism, it hasn’t yet crossed into full authoritarianism. But the danger lies in incremental erosion, not sudden collapse.
So?
If you didn’t already know, you can’t say you don’t know now. If you already knew, and you are capable of justifying any level of participation in this, the blood will be on your hands.
I know where I stand.
So tonight, with my daughter, I have finally started watching The Diary of Anne Frank. If you refuse to see what’s happening, I can’t show you, but I CAN teach her.
The kids are the key, but the damage MUST be minimized, and I will always stand firmly with the oppressed. I grieve the lives they are costing us every single day KNOWING it could be me any day as an outspoken trans autistic.
Let’s look at some actual quotes from the man himself.
“A man who calls himself trans is wearing ‘woman face,’ no different than I would wear Black face trying to be a Black person.”
—Turning Point USA event, 2023“The transgender thing happening in America is a throbbing middle finger to God.”
—Church address, cited by PinkNews“Transgender people suffer from a mental illness and need brain treatment. I will not call a man a woman.”
—Radio broadcast, 2024“We should deal with trans people like men did in the 1950s and 60s.”
—Quoted by LGBTQ+ advocates as a call for violence
According to the Trans Remembrance Project:
Black trans women were disproportionately impacted, making up nearly half of all violent deaths.
113 total deaths of trans people were recorded in the U.S.
43 were violent deaths, including murder by firearms, stabbing, beatings, and carceral trauma.
Several people I know personally disappear each year. We’re lucky if we find their bodies.
“Black America is worse than it has been in the last 80 years.”
—Jubilee’s Surrounded debate, 2023“They were actually better in the 1940s. It was bad. It was evil. But what happened? Something changed. They committed less crimes.”
—Same debate, implying Black Americans were better off under Jim Crow“If I see a Black pilot, I’m going to be like, ‘Boy, I hope he’s qualified.’”
—Podcast appearance, 2024“MLK was awful. … We made a huge mistake when we passed the Civil Rights Act in the 1960s.”
—Turning Point USA’s America Fest, 2023“Black women do not have the brain processing power to otherwise be taken really seriously.”
—Radio show, referring to Joy Reid, Michelle Obama, Sheila Jackson Lee, and Ketanji Brown Jackson as “affirmative action picks”
Additionally,
- He promoted the “Great Replacement” theory, claiming Democrats were trying to “diminish white demographics” through immigration and equity policies.
- He called George Floyd a “scumbag” and claimed his death was exaggerated by “corrupt voices”.
These statements weren’t isolated—they formed a consistent ideological pattern that sought to delegitimize racial justice movements, civil rights history, and the lived experiences of marginalized communities.
“Women over 30 aren’t attractive in the dating pool.”
—Turning Point USA event, 2024; widely condemned as ageist and misogynistic“Birth control makes women angry and bitter.”
—Podcast appearance, 2024“Submit to your husband, Taylor. You’re not in charge.”
—Comment about Taylor Swift after her engagement to Travis Kelce
- He blamed declining birth rates on women’s career ambitions and political independence.
- His rhetoric often invoked Christian nationalism, framing motherhood as a moral duty and careerism as cultural decay.
- Kirk promoted a “tradwife” ideology, urging young women to marry early, have children, and reject feminism.
“It should be legal to burn a rainbow or BLM flag in public.”
—Social media post, 2025“The Democrat Party is advancing a culture marked by sexual anarchy.”
—Essay in The American Mind, 2021
I’m relieved because we’re safer tonight. If that makes me a monster, so be it. If you don’t see him as a monster, I’m so sad for you.
I can see how much his life matters to you. Does mine?
References
- Forrester, M., Stone, A., & Moore, J. (2025, September 11). Student suspect dies after high school shooting. ABC News. https://abcnews.go.com/US/shooting-reported-colorado-high-school-2-kids-transported/story?id=125452526
- Jeffco Public Schools. (2025, September 11). Important Update #5: Care for Our Community & No School 9/11 and 9/12. Evergreen High School News. https://evergreen.jeffcopublicschools.org/news/news-details/~board/evergreen-high-school-news/post/important-update-5-care-for-our-community-no-school-911-and-912
- Jeffco Public Schools. (2025). Evergreen High School. https://evergreen.jeffcopublicschools.org/
- Vanderveen, C., & Solomon, M. (2025, September 10). Colorado: 13th school shooting since Columbine. 9NEWS. https://www.9news.com/article/news/crime/13-school-shootings-colorado-since-columbine/73-0fa52729-20dd-4525-b438-a44ac616c31b
- Gendher, P. A. (2025, July 27). 21 & Race. InvisiblY MisdiagnoseD. https://invisiblymisdiagnosed.com/2025/07/27/21-race/
- Parker, A. (Director). (1988). Mississippi Burning [Film]. Orion Pictures. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095647/
- Clavell, J. (Director). (1967). To Sir, with Love [Film]. Columbia Pictures. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0062376/
- Limbaugh, R. (1993). Syndicated radio broadcast [Audio broadcast]. Quoted in The Limbaugh Letter, August 1993 edition. https://archive.org/details/the-limbaugh-letter-1993-08-red
- Limbaugh, R. (1993). Syndicated radio broadcast [Audio broadcast]. Quoted in The Limbaugh Letter, August 1993 edition. https://archive.org/details/the-limbaugh-letter-1993-08-red
- Metzl, J. M., & Roberts, D. E. (2014). Structural competency: Theorizing a new medical engagement with stigma and inequality. Social Science & Medicine, 103, 126–133. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4659767/
- Golec de Zavala, A. (2018, August 28). The terrifying power of stereotypes – and how to deal with them. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/the-terrifying-power-of-stereotypes-and-how-to-deal-with-them-101904
- Kirk, C. (2023, April 5). TPUSA Faith event speech, Awaken Church, Salt Lake City campus [Public address]. Quoted in MSN News
- Kirk, C. (2023, April 5). TPUSA Faith event speech, Awaken Church, Salt Lake City campus [Public address]. Quoted in MSN News
: “You could significantly reduce [gun deaths] through having more fathers in the home, by having more armed guards in front of schools.” - Gendher, P. A. (2025, August 15). 41: The Machine. InvisiblY MisdiagnoseD. https://invisiblymisdiagnosed.com/2025/08/15/41-the-machine/
- Galena, D. (2025, July 7). Juneteenth: Fact Sheet (CRS Report No. R44865). Congressional Research Service. https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/R44865
- Mitchell, B. C., Edlebi, J., Meier, H. C. S., Richardson, J., & Chen, L. (2024, May). Decades of disinvestment: Historic redlining and mortgage lending since 1981. National Community Reinvestment Coalition. https://ncrc.org/decades-of-disinvestment/
- McKoy, J. (2024, September 20). Surge in discriminatory state laws threatens the health of multiple marginalized groups. Boston University School of Public Health. https://www.bu.edu/sph/news/articles/2024/surge-in-discriminatory-state-laws-threaten-the-health-of-multiple-marginalized-groups/
- DuVernay, A. (Director). (2016). 13th [Documentary film]. Netflix. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5895028/
- New-York Historical Society. (n.d.). Black domestic workers. Women & the American Story. https://wams.nyhistory.org/industry-and-empire/labor-and-industry/black-domestic-workers/
- Bourgois, P. (2003). In search of respect: Selling crack in El Barrio (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press.
- Bourgois, P., & Schonberg, J. (2009). Righteous dopefiend. University of California Press.
- Lonas, L. (2025, September 11). National Guard mobilizing in 19 states for immigration, crime crackdown. Fox News. https://www.foxnews.com/politics/national-guard-mobilizing-19-states-immigration-crime-crackdown
- MSN News. (2025, September 11). DHS slams ‘media hoaxes,’ says Alligator Alcatraz remains open ‘housing worst of worst criminal illegal aliens’. https://www.msn.com/en-us/crime/general/dhs-slams-media-hoaxes-says-alligator-alcatraz-remains-open-housing-worst-of-worst-criminal-illegal-aliens/ar-AA1MmCFe
- Taheri, M. (2025, July 12). Five states in talks for detention centers like ‘Alligator Alcatraz’—Noem. Newsweek. https://www.newsweek.com/five-states-talks-detention-centers-alligator-alcatraz-kristi-noem-2098212
- Perera, R. M., González, T., & Tomlinson, A. (2025, September 8). The status of litigation against the Trump administration’s K-12 education agenda: A guide for education leaders. Brookings Institution. https://www.brookings.edu/articles/the-status-of-litigation-against-the-trump-administrations-k-12-education-agenda-a-guide-for-education-leaders/
- LePage, B., & Dragone, C. (2021, September 3). These are the states that passed laws restricting the teaching of racial history. The 74 Million. https://www.the74million.org/article/these-are-the-states-that-passed-laws-restricting-the-teaching-of-racial-history/
- Mordowanec, N. (2025, April 23). List of states with mandated autism databases as RFK Jr.’s ‘registry’ faces backlash. Newsweek. https://www.newsweek.com/autism-registry-state-mandate-rfk-jr-2063082
- Wright, A. (2024, June 5). Hitler’s inner circle: The 7 most powerful figures in the Third Reich. TheCollector. https://www.thecollector.com/hitler-circle-powerful-figures-third-reich/#:~:text=5.%20Joseph-,Goebbels,-Goebbels%20speaking%20at
- Wright, A. (2024, June 5). Hitler’s inner circle: The 7 most powerful figures in the Third Reich. TheCollector. https://www.thecollector.com/hitler-circle-powerful-figures-third-reich/#:~:text=4.%20Heinrich-,Himmler,-Heinrich%20Himmler%20(center
- Holocaust Education Australia. (n.d.). The human toll. https://holocaust.com.au/the-facts/the-human-toll/
- Holocaust Education Australia. (n.d.). The human toll. https://holocaust.com.au/the-facts/the-human-toll/
- Barr, L. (2025, May 27). DHS, FBI warn large-scale events could be target for violence. ABC News. https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/dhs-fbi-warn-large-scale-events-target-violence/story?id=122238877
- Kirk, C. (2023). Turning Point USA event speech [Public address]. Quoted in MSN News
: “A man who calls himself trans is wearing ‘woman face,’ no different than I would wear Black face trying to be a Black person.” - Kirk, C. (2023). Church address [Public address]. Quoted in PinkNews
: “The transgender thing happening in America is a throbbing middle finger to God.” - Kirk, C. (2024). Radio broadcast [Audio broadcast]. Quoted in MSN News
: “Transgender people suffer from a mental illness and need brain treatment. I will not call a man a woman.” - Kirk, C. (2025). Campus speech [Public address]. Quoted in Erin in the Morning
: “People should have ‘just took care of’ transgender people ‘the way we used to take care of things in the 1950s and 60s.’” - Trans Remembrance Project. (2024, October 31). The data. https://www.transremembrance.org/the-data
- Kirk, C. (2023). Jubilee’s Surrounded debate [Video debate]. Quoted in Yahoo News
: “Black America is worse than it has been in the last 80 years.” - Kirk, C. (2023). Jubilee’s Surrounded debate [Video debate]. Quoted in MSN News
: “They were actually better in the 1940s. It was bad. It was evil. But what happened? Something changed. They committed less crimes.” - Kirk, C. (2024, January 24). ThoughtCrime [Podcast episode]. Quoted in The Grift Report
: “If I see a Black pilot, I’m going to be like, ‘Boy, I hope he’s qualified.’” - Kirk, C. (2023, December). America Fest speech [Public address]. Quoted in MSN News
: “MLK was awful. … We made a huge mistake when we passed the Civil Rights Act in the 1960s.” - Kirk, C. (2023, July 13). The Charlie Kirk Show [Radio broadcast]. Quoted in NewsOne
and MSN News: “Black women do not have the brain processing power to otherwise be taken really seriously.” - Kirk, C. (2024, April 2). TPUSA Faith event at Fervent Church [Public address]. Quoted in MeidasTouch News
and Times Now
: “If you’re in your early 30s, I’m sorry, it’s like you’re not as attractive in the dating pool as you were in your early 20s.” - Kirk, C. (2024, April 2). Freedom Night in America at Fervent Church [Podcast appearance]. Quoted in Mediaite
and Arizona Republic
: “It creates very angry and bitter young ladies and young women.” - Kirk, C. (2025, August 26). The Charlie Kirk Show [Podcast episode]. Quoted in Media Matters for America
and MSN News
: “Submit to your husband, Taylor. You’re not in charge.” - Kirk, C. (2025, August). Social media post [Online statement]. Quoted in USA Today
: “It should be legal to burn a rainbow or BLM flag in public.” - Kirk, C. (2021, October). Sexual anarchy and the collapse of American culture. The American Mind. Quoted in PinkNews
and MSN News
: “The Democrat Party is advancing a culture marked by sexual anarchy.” - Popper, K. R. (1945). The open society and its enemies (Vol. 1). London: Routledge.
Operation **Reclaim** Loveland 
What do you think?